Cardinals Running Back David Johnson To End Holdout & Attend Training Camp [WATCH VIDEO]

The Arizona Cardinals no longer have to worry about their star running back’s desire to play, as David Johnson has agreed to end his contract holdout and join his team in training camp. Johnson publicly confirmed his return to the team himself, tweeting out a video of him wearing a Cardinals helmet with the hashtag #ImBack.

Johnson missed a minicamp in June as well as a pair of team activity practices as he held out for a contract extension with the Cardinals, saying, “The Cardinals want me to play for them for a long time, and I want to be here for a long time.”

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Johnson’s holdout has been relatively understandable, as is heading into the final year of his rookie contract in which he will earn just over $1.9 million, a huge bargain for a player of his caliber. However, he decided to end the holdout after conferring with his representatives. He said, “I’m here to play football. I trust my agency, Sportstars, and I know they’ll get it done when the time comes.”

The Cardinals were without Johnson for almost all of the 2017 season after he suffered a fractured wrist during a Week 1 matchup against the Detroit Lions. After exploding onto the season during the latter half of his rookie season in 2015, Johnson spent 2016 proving himself to be one of the NFL’s elite running backs, rushing for 1,239 yards and 16 touchdowns on 293 carries (4.2 yards per carry), while also adding 879 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns through the air.

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Arizona is entering what should be an interesting season, as they drafted quarterback Josh Rosen out of UCLA with the 10th pick in the 2018 draft. Rosen is considered by many experts to be the most NFL-ready rookie quarterback, and his progression into a franchise QB would certainly benefit from Johnson being in the backfield alongside him.

Article by Mike Conn